Tired

...up since five a.m. I love sitting here by the window, meditating, but I can't seem to stay awake.

I keep thinking of the Lovin' Spoonful's song from the last century, oh so many years ago..."Summer In the City." I wonder if they're on You Tube?

It's hot, really hot. I got a haircut yesterday and wandered around the East Village for awhile, trying to kill time before an event I had to go to. Later, as I was walking home, a man was sitting on his front stoop and we started talking about the heat, and the summer. Turns out we were neighbors in SoHo for many years and he invited me in to see his house, which was gorgeous. It's on South Portland Avenue, the street that Time Out New York called "The Best Block in NYC." (For various reasons, it's beautiful, it's convenient to subways, restaurants, a wonderful park, etc.) His name is Harvey and he has a 29 year-old daughter who also went to Hampshire College, where Zoe went this past year. I told him about her experience living in New Zealand and he said that he and his wife love New Zealand and were going back there in a few months, renting an RV and driving around the country. That sounds great! I guess he was a little lonely yesterday and wanted some company.

Steve arrived in Spain. His 6:30 p.m. flight was canceled, so he switched to a 9:30 flight, which left at 11:30. He arrived in London, went through customs, had to take a bus to another airport and finally arrived about 24 hours after he left. Traveling these days is quite a challenge.

One week from today my monologue performance will be history. I'm trying to enjoy this time and to have faith that I can do this...and not panic. It's just a reading. I hope that people get something out of it, a few laughs and some good information.

And now I would like to go back to bed and continue reading "Oblomov" a classic Russian novel from the mid-1800's about a guy who never wants to leave his bed. I think he's basically meditating, all the time.